HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS ....

Ladies (and gents if you're reading), put down what you're doing NOW ...... Run to the kitchen ...... put on your aprons .... and get baking !!!
Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited ? I've tried on numerous occasions to make these monsters ..... it has NEVER worked. Today, I thought I'd give it a go again ..... I am so ridiculously happy and excited about how these turned out ..... I may just have done a little happy dance !!!

Perfect ...... just perfect !!!! Light, airy, crispy, golden brown ...... oh I cant wait for dessert time tonight !!!
THIS is where you'll find the recipe .... these will surely earn you LOTS of brownie points with your family :-)

A DAY AT THE FAIR ....

I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact, that we weren't going to get to the Great State Fair of Texas this year ........ burst water heater, less than ideal weather, soccer games ..... you get the idea!!!
Then today, on the spur of the moment, after finding a great deal on the tickets, Hubby and I decided to go for a couple of hours. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours, just Me and My Man . Like most people in our stage of life ..... growing kids, homework, sports commitments .... we don't take nearly as much "Us" time as we should.
It was a fabulous day ...... not crowded, the perfect weather .... just lovely !!!

Of course there's Fair Food ...... the must haves, and the competition winners, that although some of them seem a little dodgy, beg to be tried.

 Funnel Cake was Hubby's must have. Mine was a Fleishmanns Corn Dog (coated liberally in ketchup and mustard)...... the only time I'll ever touch one of those things !!!

The winner of The Most Creative Fried Food for this year, was fried Thanksgiving Dinner. Truth be told, we were skeptical (very skeptical) ..... Of all the winners I've tried over the years, this wins hands down, it was DELICIOUS !!! The presentation of it was super cute too ....... Little pots of gravy and cranberry sauce and a Thanksgiving napkin.

We got to see the items I'd won ribbons for displayed .... this always gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling :-) There is a wealth of talent around - there were a lot of wonderfully creative items on display to see.

We love visiting the livestock enclosures ...... this porker was HUGE !!! He is only 4 years old. The sign board next to him, said that he has about 1100 lbs of bacon on him ........ not to worry though, he is a breeding pig :-)

 If you've been a visitor to my blog for a while, you might remember that the day after I visited the Fair last year, Big Tex (The talking State Fair Mascot), had an electrical fault, and he burned to the ground ...... let me tell you, it was a sad day for these Texans. Anyhow, at great cost, work began on a new Big Tex (yes, he does have a fire extinguishing system in him now) .... the promise was made to Fair goers, that Big Tex would stand tall and preside over State Fair 2013 ... they made good on their promise, and here he is. He's quite a handsome chap ....

And just look at those snazzy boots he's acquired  ..... Only in Texas !!!!!
Next week, we'll go and collect my entries and ribbons, and Texas State Fair 2013, will be over. Around May, the Creative Arts Department Competition Guidebook will arrive in the mail, and the cycle will begin again :-)

SIDE NOTE: Megan W was the winner of my Giveaway !!! Megan if you'll email me                   (kerry_james@verizon.net) you mailing details, I'll get your package off to you.

WE HAVE A WINNER !!!!

Oops .... October 15th came and went, and I lost track of the days !!!
Better late than never ....
My Random Person Picker (aka My Hubby) pulled a name out of the hat, and the winner of the little voodoo doll pincushion, and a few other surprise goodies is .....

MEGAN W

Congratulations Megan, please email me (kerry_james@verizon.net) with your mailing details, and I'll get your goodies off to you.A big thank you to everyone that entered, it was a fun thing to do, and I'm sure there'll be more giveaways in my bloggy future.

THE WHITE RABBIT GONE WILD !!!!

Some of you may remember from a few posts back, that I took part in Val's Halloween Zombie Doll Swap (this is a favorite swap of mine). I made The Mad Hatter for my partner. She came up with this great idea ... she offered up the challenge, to any of us who wanted to play along, to make another zombie doll, for ourselves this time.
I had everything I would need on hand, and I don't have many of my own creations, so I was in. I had wanted to possibly make The White Rabbit for my swap partner, but chickened out, because there were too many elements I'd have to experiment with ..... ears, different shaped head.... I took this as my opportunity to give it a go .... if it went wrong it was mine, so nobody would be dissappointed.

His head begun to take shape. I used an egg shaped styrofoam form for his head. To make his ears, I wrapped tin foil around a wooden skewer, until I was happy with the shape. I then molded some paperclay around the ears, before jabbing the skewer into his head. I then carried on molding more paperclay, so that his head looked like one piece .... no joins.

Next up, was to zombify his head .....

The paperclay had cracked in a few places, so I applied a layer of white tissue and modge podge all over his head  - I love the texture this gives. Once dry, he was painted white. I thought at this point that he looked too white, so I gave him a grey color wash ... this gave an almost antiqued look to him. Knitted I Cord for the "brains" again, and then those two front teeth ..... one of my favorite parts. I made them out of sculpey, molded onto toothpicks. Once they were baked, cooled and painted, I performed an implant procedure.... my dentist would be so proud of the job I did !!!

His body and appendages are made of fabric. I added a cup of rice to his bum .... that just makes him sit beautifully.

 Dressing him ... my favorite part !! Blue overalls and a red shirt, with that oversized bow tie. He couldn't go without his pocket watch either. A good spray over with red fabric spray paint, and he was done.

I am soooo happy with the way he turned out, and even more so, that I get to keep him.

Today, I'll be decorating my little Halloween tree and table .... you can be sure he'll be taking a spot somewhere there.

I'm thinking now, that I'd like to try making some paperclay Christmas characters ..... I'm leaning more towards that primitive look this year. Hmmm, we'll have to give that idea some thought.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING ....

And I know that's not what any of you really wanted to hear !!! It's far too early for me too, however, I needed to get these cards made and mailed early, so that the recipient recieves them with plenty of time to write them and mail them out.
I made 5 of each design ... the perfect number I've decided. Not too many that you get bored, but just enough to enjoy the creative aspects of each design.
So for your enjoyment ..... here we go .... and who knows, it may just inspire you to give making your own Christmas cards a try this year.

I made them using lots of different things ..... my Cricut, my Sizzix machine, embossing folders, paper punches, rubber stamps, washi tape, ribbon, brads, bakers twine ..... I just had a rummage through what I had, and put it to use.

I put a paper insert into each card too ...... the person who'll be getting these, likes to write a little yearly update in her Christmas cards, so hopefully this gives her some extra room to do that.
So that they didn't look to plain, I added a strip of washi tape to each insert ..... I like the effect.

It also gave me the chance to decide which design I liked best, and which I'll be adapting to suit the needs of our family's Christmas card this year.

Until next time ...... Keep Creating !!!

Just a reminder ...... If you want to enter my giveaway, you still have time. Go HERE to see what you could win and leave your comment.

A GIVEAWAY ...

OK, so I have never done one of these before on my blog .... there are many reasons for that. among which is that I'm not too confident that I have that many readers of my blog. However, a great blog friend of mine encouraged me to host one, so here we are ....
It October, it's Fall, and not to far off from now, we'll be snuggled up inside - giving us lots of crafty time (at least, we hope so :-)
Remember this little pincushion person ...

He needs a loving home, and is up for grabs, together with a few surprise goodies :-)
Just leave me a comment, letting me know what your favorite crafty pastime is, and I'll enter you into the drawing.
I'll draw the name of the winner on the evening of October 15th.

Happy Fall Y'all !!!!